House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used an annual luncheon Thursday as an opportunity to read a St. Patrick’s Day-themed poem written by U2 singer Bono, about the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. No, you are not having a weird dream. Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday that she would read a poem written by Bono, and despite speculation the poem would not be something Bono actually wrote, it turns out that the poem was, in fact, written by Bono. “I got this message this morning from Bono,” Pelosi told attendees at the luncheon, held by Congress’s Friends of Ireland caucus. “Most of us, whether we’re in Ireland, here, whatever it is, Bono has been a very Irish part of our lives.”
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She then began to read the limerick that compared Ukraine with Ireland and Zelenskyy with St. Patrick, who likely did not actually drive any snakes out of Ireland. “O, St. Patrick, he drove out the snakes / With his prayers, but that’s not all it takes.”The poem ends: “They struggle for us to be free from the psycho in this human family” — a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin — “Ireland’s sorrow and pain is now the Ukraine / and St. Patrick's name is now Zelenskyy.”Following the reading of the poem, Pelosi introduced a performance of the Irish theatrical show Riverdance. On Wednesday, Pelosi introduced Zelenskyy before he addressed Congress via video call, attempting at one point to lead members in a chorus of “Slava Ukraini [Glory to Ukraine]!”Zelenskyy used the opportunity to ask Congress and President Joe Biden to intervene more forcefully in the conflict, invoking Pearl Harbor and 9/11, showing a heartbreaking video portraying the struggle of people in Ukraine. The video ended with “Close the skies over Ukraine”—effectively asking for a no-fly zone, which would likely provoke a direct conflict between NATO and Russia. The Biden administration has repeatedly rejected this request. “Ukraine is grateful to the United States for its overwhelming support,” Zelenskyy said. “I call on you to do more.”Following Zelenskyy’s message to Congress, the Biden administration announced $800 million more in military aid to Ukraine, including 20 million rounds of ammunition, nearly 7,000 small arms, 800 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, and 100 Switchblade drones. “The United States and our allies and partners are fully committed to surging weapons of assistance to the Ukrainians, and more will be coming as we source additional stocks of equipment that we’re ready to transfer,” Biden said Wednesday. Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.